Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a stemmed tulip glass and shared with friends during a holiday bottle share.

A: A deep dark brown color that gives rise to a 1-2 fingers of mocha head with decent retention and some nice lacing.

S: The nose is really complex, not just a massive bourbon blast, but rather a nice boozy fragrance allowing some roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate to come through and some vanilla and a bit of wood.

O: What impressed me most about this beer is the balanced complexity; it is both big and bold while still exhibiting restraint. This bottle was served with the 2010 version and was unanimously agreed to be the superior version. Very well done LTM! (942 characters)

Pitch black and very smooth. Little head present on pour which quickly dissipates. Very similar to their Porter Baltique, which almost tastes like a milk stout crossed with a baltic porter to me. Slight scent and taste from the bourbon barrels. Not overpowering like some bourbon aged beers, but I feel like I expected more bourbon to it. The 10.5% abv definitely warms the inside on the way down. Perfect for cold winter evenings at this time of year. (452 characters)

The beer is jet black with a small tan head. Head fades quickly, leaves just a touch of lace.

Nose is very rich, with bourbon, brandy and chocolate all jumping out strongly. Vanilla and oak. Some roasted scents. The bourbon and brandy scent mix well together.

Taste is very good indeed. Like the nose, the bourbon and brandy are both quite present. They mix well together, the bourbon imparting some sweetness and the brandy a more aggressive heat that cuts the sweetness a bit. Chocolate and some roast malt flavours are right behind, as well as vanilla from the bourbon. The barrels are strong but they do not obscure the beer, which is great in itself. I don't pick up on the tart cherry flavours that I usually get in the base beer- perhaps the barrels drown it out.

Full bodied, low carbonation level. A bit syrupy, but generally very smooth.

Overall, a terrific beer. Nice twist on a great beer. (948 characters)

Bottle: Poured a dark brown color ale with a rather generous light brown foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of warming brandy/bourbon notes with light vanilla with some residual sugar notes is very enticing. Taste is a great mix between some syrupy brandy and bourbon notes with notes of vanilla that are also discernible and some well-balanced residual sugar notes. Body is quite full with great carbonation and light warming alcohol notes are slightly noticeable. I thought this was a great improvement over last year barrel-aged treatment and well-balanced for such an extreme beer. (610 characters)

APPEARANCE : Dark brown with a mocha head that doesn't rise very much and backs down pretty quickly - just as should be expected. Not nearly as opaque as I had expected it to be though.

SMELL : First nose is heavy roasted malts with coffee and chocolate notes and a certain boozy warmth. Some fruity and nutty notes are also present. Second nose opens up the hop profile with a vegetal side emerging. Deep chocolate notes. Third nose follows along, but with more booze.

TASTE : There's smoke that wasn't there on the nose and ooh man, what a rich palette. Multilayered, complex, precise. You can taste both types of barrel, bourbon and brandy. The booze gives an amazingly pleasing warmth that stays with you long after you've downed your sip. Hops are very present, but blend themselves superbly with the coffee side of the roasted malts.

MOUTHFEEL : Coats the mouth. Pleasantly low carbonation leaves all the room to the aromas and the amplitude of the beer itself.

OVERALL : Among the very best stouts I've had the pleasure of tasting, and definitely the best stout I've had that come from my homeland. (1,226 characters)